The Vanquisher of Kings II

  Erilaz, Andvari and Hefri flee their homeland to seek refuge. However, their plans take a chaotic turn when their spaceship malfunctions. As they land far from their destination, they accidentally cross paths with a hostile mafia boss.

  They must outwit him and survive in a treacherous mushroom jungle.

  Among the chaos on Helvetto, King Ivendir must confront his powerlessness as invaders threaten his people. Desperate for a solution, he makes a daring and perilous choice that could save or destroy his kingdom. In addition to the unwanted guests, he faces an another obstacle – his own madness and paranoia.

  After four long days on the botanist's ship, the Vardir Commanders regained more strength. Hefri could walk by herself, Andvari's wounds began to heal and form scars, and Erilaz slept well for the first time since their escape.

  To avoid getting bored to death, they exercised, talked about even the most trivial things, and played improvised games. When the botanist had to take care of the ship’s engines, they started another round of a guessing game.

  “Hefri, it’s your turn,” said Andvari, sitting in the pilot seat, his arms crossed and his legs stretched.

  “Okay. So…” muttered Hefri and gazed at the distorted stars in front of the ship. “It’s a brush, but bald people can use it too.”

  Erilaz and Andvari glanced at each other.

  “A… scrubbing brush?” said Erilaz.

  “A toilet brush?” added Andvari.

  Hefri shook her head. “No, it’s a toothbrush!”

  “Oh, really?” Andvari tilted his head, looking pretentiously at her. “What if the bald person had no teeth?”

  Hefri narrowed her eyebrows. “Then I would have said: bald people with no teeth. Isn’t it obvious?”

  Andvari wanted to respond, but Erilaz interrupted, “it’s your turn.”

  Andvari nodded and rested his chin on his hand. After a moment of silence, he began, “why aren't the Moryans going to celebrate my thirtieth birthday?”

  Erilaz and Hefri thought over the answer. They pursed their lips, looked at the illuminator or sighed helplessly, but none of them spoke up.

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  Andvari smiled victoriously. “It’s obvious. They’re going to be extinct by then.”

  Hefri snorted under her breath, while Erilaz stretched out on his seat.

  “I wish it was so easy,” he muttered, his joints cracking quietly.

  Andvari drooped his shoulders and stared at the floor. “Yeah…” he raised his sight at Hefri. “When we finally arrive on Xalmecka? It’s so boring here.”

  She swirled in her seat and glanced at the control panel. “Around three days.”

  “What?” sighed Andvari, rolling his eyes. “It’s like…. Eternity to the power of third!”

  As Erilaz straightened up on his seat and opened his mouth to respond, the botanist trotted into the cockpit. His hand trembled, and a drop of sweat dripped down his forehead.

  “I think… we have a problem,” he stuttered out.

  The Vardir Commanders looked at the Celestian with worry and surprise.

  “The engine. One of them has been damaged during the chase. It was breaking down quite slowly, the sensors didn’t catch it earlier. We have to stop on the nearest planet.”

  “Stop?” Erilaz lowered his eyebrows in concern. “Right now? Our allies are awaiting us on Xalmecka, we…”

  “Vardir Erilaz, it’s too dangerous.” The botanist shook his head. “I can’t risk your lives like this. I don’t know what happened on Helvetto, but I want you to stay safe.”

  “Fine,” Hefri chimed in. “Let’s say we land on the nearest planet. And then what? How are we going to repair it? Do we even have any money?”

  The botanist shook his head again and sat on the fourth seat. He clenched his fist and covered his mouth, his eyes gazing blankly ahead. His fingers tapped at the armrest, betraying his doubts.

  “I think… we don’t have any better choice.”

  The Vardir Commanders glanced at each other knowingly. Erilaz sighed, yet he didn’t want to change the botanist’s plans. He didn’t feel qualified enough to interrupt, since he knew only the very basics of the structure of ships. Hefri wouldn’t help more too, and Andvari specialised in tiny machinery.

  Sinking in dejection, Erilaz turned to the illuminator. Every ray of hope for saving Helvetto from the mad king turned dimmed, as if a shadow of hopelessness eclipsed it. The chance to dethrone Ivendir slipped out of his reach once again. The knowledge about Helvettians’ suffering withered his spirit, but also fuelled his wrath.

  Hatred towards Ivendir brewed inside Erilaz like a storm, its fierce and turbulent force ready to unleash its power at any moment. He clenched his teeth and gripped the armrests with all his might, but anger consumed his thoughts and shrouded all his common sense. His livid yet sullen eyes gazed at the distorted stars as if he wanted to shatter them with his very stare.

  Even though he still panted harshly, his anger faded, giving way to emptiness and longing. King Ivendir was the real reason he and his best friends ended up there. If the rightful king was still alive, Erilaz wouldn’t have to escape his own homeworld and endure these endless waves of guilt.

  Ivendir didn’t have much choice but to meet with the Moryans again. A few days ago, they had sent him a clear message in the form of a missile exploding in the abandoned area of the capital city, so he preferred not to overuse their patience.

  Despite the sleepless nights and distressing days, Ivendir managed to powder the dark circles under his eyes and brush his hair, which now resembled a ruby waterfall reaching his shoulder blades. He needed to have spent a dozen long minutes in front of the mirror to transform his appearance from an exhausted peasant to an ordinary king. The tunic he put on had long, tapering sleeves, what let him hide the thick, dark veins on his pale skin. As always, he searched through his case with jewellery and chose only one, yet the most sophisticated ring with a sea-green gem.

  As Ivendir looked into the mirror and then at the ring on his finger, he snorted bitterly. The gem, despite its similar colour, contrasted so much with his eyes. It glistened plainly in the morning sun, while his weary stare expressed only bleakness.

  To his surprise, dread and panic didn’t grip him as forcefully as before. He felt as if emotions couldn’t break through an invisible barrier, and he watched himself from behind a one-way mirror. He blamed his exhaustion for this, since all he could do at night was to tremble in fear and think over the worst things the Moryans were going to do.

  Well, he thought, leaving his chamber. There was a deal, and there is the price of it.

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